Congresswoman seeks federal investigation of e-mails

Published 6:00 pm, Wednesday, February 6, 2008

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee called for a federal investigation Thursday into whether the Harris County justice system has been hurt by an e-mail scandal involving District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal.

Jackson Lee made the request to Attorney General Michael Mukasey during a hearing in Washington of the House Judiciary Committee, which includes the Houston Democrat.

Rosenthal has been forced to abort his re-election bid since pornographic, racist and political messages in the Republican's e-mail account surfaced last month. The messages also included love notes between the married prosecutor and his secretary.

"Various activities that the district attorney has taken part of would suggest that the justice system in Harris County has been impaired," Jackson Lee said.

Mukasey told Jackson Lee that he would have the department check to see if it has jurisdiction.

Rosenthal acknowledged in federal court last week that he made erroneous statements in a deposition about his deletion of office e-mails.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt indefinitely postponed proceedings about whether Rosenthal should be punished for deleting what appeared to be evidence requested in a federal lawsuit against the county. That testimony created questions about whether Rosenthal had admitted to lying under oath.